Remembering Rizza

Shaun:
0:01

On a Friday night in June 2023, risa Abrera was sitting in the nail salon she owned getting her nails done. Her ex-boyfriend, a man who had raised many red flags for her family, burst in, grabbed Risa by the forearm and dragged her outside.

John:
0:16

Several witnesses tried to stop him, but he pulled out a gun, threw Risa into his SUV and sped away, barricading himself in his Southwest Valley home with two other women and their three-year-old daughter.

Shaun:
0:30

Las Vegas Metro SWAT team negotiated with him for hours before they finally went in. When they did, they discovered the unthinkable inside his home.

John:
0:52

Hi and welcome to Sins and Survivors, a Las Vegas true crime podcast where we focus on domestic violence, missing persons and unsolved cases. I'm your host, sean, and with me, as always, is the one and only John.

Shaun:
1:05

I am the only John in the room.

John:
1:10

Sometimes there are cases we'd like to cover, but it turns out to be hard because most of the information out there is about the murderer or the horrible details of the crime, with often just a passing mention of the victim. They're often totally overlooked and we don't want to cover a case and end up just telling you about the crime itself. Occasionally you'll find an interview with the victim's family, but not always. This case has a bit of that, but we were able to find out a little more about Risa, so we'll be focusing more on her.

Shaun:
1:42

Another thing that seems to happen a lot here in Las Vegas is home barricades. It seems like you can't go a week without hearing about a street or neighborhood being on lockdown because someone has locked themselves in their home with someone, and it rarely ends well. The weird thing we've noticed about these barricade cases is that they're almost always treated just like traffic reports. The news mostly focuses on the impact to traffic and the commute, not the human cost and the impact to the victim or their family that's left behind. It's very frustrating. In the coverage you'll get a name, age and a cause of death many times and then the news cycle just moves on. They're all tragedies and they all involve the loss of real people who are friends, sisters, moms and daughters. You want to start by telling us about Riza.

John:
2:28

Sure. Riza was born in the Philippines to parents Myrna and Dennis Stoney, on January 12, 1985. Her family is pretty huge. She has four brothers, rico, raniel, ricardo and Jeffrey, and two sisters, rodeline and Rihamir. She also has four children ranging in age from three to 17. Her oldest three kids are from a prior relationship, but her youngest she had with her ex-boyfriend Stephen.

John:
2:59

One of the things we noticed in the many comments left by loved ones about Riza was that one of her daughters is named after a friend of hers who has passed away. She obviously loved her friends as if they were family. On her obituary website you can see dozens of photos and tributes from friends from throughout her life. While we're talking about photos, I want to share that my favorite photo of her and her kids that we saw was the one from Christmas where the five of them, risa included, all wore matching pajamas. They took a sweet, smiling photo with Santa, but they also took a goofy photo with silly faces and their tongue sticking out. Even Santa made a goofy face in the photo. They're so sweet and beautiful but also painful to see.

John:
3:51

Back to her childhood. Risa was athletic growing up and played basketball and soccer. She loved science and especially playing with insects. She was so smart, in fact, that she skipped third grade. Her family moved to Las Vegas.

John:
4:07

Of course, risa became a Golden Knights fan right from the start of their inaugural season. She loved hockey, she loved the Golden Knights, and she would post on her social media how bummed out she was that it wasn't hockey season. She loved connecting with people, cooking, watching TV shows and movies, and she even pursued a career in acting and modeling. She landed a role in a movie called Conspiracy Theory, which is a found footage horror movie about a film crew working in Southern Nevada and discovering a terrible secret lurking below Lake Mead. She was also in a pilot for a TV series called the 702, which the plot sounds a lot like that of the OC, but set in Vegas. She also took jobs as a spokesmodel at CES and worked as a cocktail waitress for about 10 years before she finally opened her own business. She owned the K&M Nail Salon on Eastern and St Rose.

Shaun:
5:06

As you might have guessed, she also loved being a mom and she wanted to do everything for her kids. She had plans for them to travel and she had them in self-defense classes at one Kix gym where they were learning Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu and MMA. She was always trying to improve herself and her friends said she brought out the best in others. Her friend, Jenny, on her memorial page, said that she was a hustler, but in a good way, that she worked several jobs to make sure that her kids had everything they needed. She said that Risa barely rested.

Shaun:
5:35

Her ex-boyfriend, Stephen Robert Evans, was born in 1982, so he was about four years older than her. He went to Las Vegas High School and ran a dog breeding business where he bred pit bulls and French bulldogs. The two of them were never married, but they did live together for many years. According to court testimony, Stephen was also a conspiracy theorist. Reading through his social media posts, it's pretty clear that he believed pretty much any conspiracy theory that he came across. There are posts about stopping the steal of the 2020 election, Pizzagate, the death of Jeffrey Epstein and the New World Order. He was also an anti-vaxxer and posted about microchips and 5G. Coincidentally, Stephen shares a name with another man around his age who also lives in Las Vegas and who also has a significant criminal history. We strive to provide you with the most accurate information when we discuss cases and, out of an abundance of caution and in the interest of making sure we have the facts straight, we were cautious to leave information out of the episode that we weren't 100% able to verify.

John:
6:43

Hi, it's Sean from Sins and Survivors and, of course, with me, as always, is the one and only John.

Shaun:
6:49

I am the only John in this advertisement.

John:
6:52

We are so excited to announce that we are finally on Patreon. We think it's so important to bring you new podcast episodes centered on victims of domestic violence, but we need your help. So if you're wondering how you can support us, this is the answer. Head over to SinsPodco, slash Patreon and join one of our membership tiers, starting at only $3 a month, with a discount if you purchase for a full year.

Shaun:
7:15

You get access to our behind the scenes swing shift episodes, where we talk about the episode right after we record it and tell you more about our theories on the case, going beyond what you just listened to. You'll also get ad-free versions of all episodes. We'll even send you members-only swag. You get all this and you can feel good that you're helping defray the costs of producing the show every week.

John:
7:37

Head over to sinspodco slash patreon today. According to what was reported by the Review Journal, risa had a restraining order against Stephen. However, according to that reporting, any information about the restraining order had been sealed by the court. We will talk about what we were able to learn about the restraining order in a minute, but for now, we will say that we don't know what the circumstances were that led to the order being filed or when it was filed.

John:
8:10

Stephen does have a record of being charged with burglary, attempted murder with a deadly weapon and, not surprisingly, domestic violence. However, all of those charges were dismissed On November 11th 2022,. There is a court record that shows Risa was arrested for domestic violence, but those charges were dropped. Her attorney moved for the charges to be dropped and the state agreed. It's not uncommon for the police to be called out on a domestic violence call to find two domestic partners fighting and simply arrest them both. It seems pretty questionable, given that Risa's family has said that Stephen was the domestic abuser in the relationship time and time again, not to mention the fact that he was about twice her size.

John:
8:55

The details of the court proceedings for both Risa and Stephen are hard to come by, probably because of the children involved. We are trying not to speculate too much when we just don't have the information involved. We are trying not to speculate too much when we just don't have the information. We do know that on November 14th 2022, risa filed in the family court suing Stephen for custody of their three-year-old daughter. Again, the specifics are not public. On November 15th, risa posted on Facebook at the end of the day, your cars, house, your property are just things that can easily be replaced. Your body, your heart, your brain and your health cannot be replaced. Protect it as if your life depends on it and always put you first. Hashtag new beginnings, Hashtag happy. It seems like whatever happened on November 11th was a turning point for Risa and she had had enough. She moved out of the house she shared with Stephen and moved in with family members.

Shaun:
9:54

According to her friend, jenny, around this time good, positive things started happening for Risa. She opened her nail salon and she was finding love for herself. She said she had found a new calling and she was thriving and in love with life. The flip side is that she told Nick Blomgren, a friend who managed the martial arts gym she sent her kids to, that she was having no luck in getting away from Stephen. She said she'd called lawyers, gone to the police, but he'd suffered no consequences and wouldn't leave her alone. He was quoted as saying the system had failed her.

Shaun:
10:26

That's a common thread among the stories we cover. You often hear police talk about how, if you're in a domestic violence situation, you should go and get help, and while that's absolutely true, many times these women try everything to get help but the court system completely fails them. That happened to Fucao in our second episode and it happened to Risa too. Blomgren told Fox 5 News in Las Vegas that he'd tried to call the police about Evans, but of course the police wouldn't comment, saying that it was an ongoing investigation.

John:
10:58

This case is so eerily similar to Fucao's murder that it's infuriating, from the salon to the kidnapping, to the barricade, to the broken system. Seven years later, another woman who sought help is murdered in Las Vegas. On January 25th 2023, there was a hearing regarding the child custody suit Risa had filed. Risa was not present at the hearing, according to her attorney, because she was in the hospital. Present at the hearing, according to her attorney, because she was in the hospital. We don't have any additional information about that. Custody was resolved with both Stephen and Risa having joint custody and equal time with their daughter. During the hearing, risa's attorney stated that the protection order needed to remain in place. We aren't sure if the protection order that was referenced is the same one that was reported in the press as being sealed. According to her attorney, the restraining order was working and the two of them needed to be ordered not to talk to each other except about their daughter. There was to be no discussion about their past romantic relationship. Custody swapping was going to continue to happen through Stephen's sister or in public places. Stephen was also ordered to pay her attorney's fees of over $5,000, and he was ordered to give Reza back the title to her car, as well as the appliances that were still in his house that she had bought Again. They were never married, but the court was involved in helping the two separate, which was complicated given the abuse and the amount of time they had lived together. As you have heard us say before, the most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence is when they try to leave.

John:
12:37

By the summer of 2023, riza was moving on her salon, was doing well and her friends and family noticed things were going well for her doing well and her friends and family noticed things were going well for her. On June 16th 2023, a Friday night, risa was getting her nails done in her salon around 7.30 pm. In security video from the salon, you can see Stephen burst in the door and violently grab her by the wrist and forearm, hoisting her off her feet, breaking her arm and sending the chair she was sitting on and the nail supplies on the table flying. He then started dragging her along the floor and out of the salon. Her employee, kevin Nguyen, who was doing her manicure, ran after them. Stephen kicked Kevin, who collapsed to the floor. He regained consciousness a moment later and saw Stephen pick Risa up and put her in his SUV.

John:
13:31

According to Kevin, someone else had driven the SUV to the salon. He said that someone opened the SUV door from the inside so that Stephen could put Risa in there. Kevin attempted to run to the other side of the SUV and pull Risa out and he said that it was clear Risa's arm or shoulder was broken and although he was yelling at her to run, she was unable to run away. Stephen got out of the SUV and pointed a gun at both of them. Evans kicked both of them again and then grabbed Risa by her hair and yanked her back into the SUV and yanked her back into the SUV. Evans pointed the gun at Kevin, who fled into a nearby store, called 911, and reported a kidnapping at gunpoint. Hi, it's Shawn from Sins and Survivors and, of course, with me, as always, is the one and only John.

Shaun:
14:21

I am the only John in this advertisement.

John:
14:24

We want to say a heartfelt thank you for all of the support we've received, both from the ethical true crime community, but also from our listeners. We're excited to announce that you can now subscribe on Apple Podcasts on your mobile device to Sins and Survivors to become a premium member to help support the podcast.

Shaun:
14:40

We're offering ad-free episodes and bonus swing shift content where we'll go behind the scenes to give you deeper insight into the episode and the making of the episode, and it's all just for our premium subscribers.

John:
14:51

So head over to sinspodco slash apple to subscribe today.

Shaun:
14:59

Knowing who the suspect was, the police headed to Stephen Evans' house in the 9600 block of Scrub J Court near West Sunset Road and South Grand Canyon Drive. When they arrived, they observed the SUV in the driveway and noted no one was in the car or outside, and set up a perimeter around the home in the neighborhood. The police soon learned that their three-year-old daughter was also inside the house, along with two other women whose identities have never been released. The SWAT team and hostage negotiators arrived and over the course of the next few hours they were able to secure the release of one of the women and the child. The police were told that Riza was unconscious inside and that Evans had access to several guns.

Shaun:
15:42

Around 10 pm they decided to breach the house and used flashbang grenades to enter. They found Risa unresponsive and Evans was found in an upstairs bedroom with a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Risa was pronounced dead at the scene and, according to the coroner, she died from multiple sharp and blunt injuries and strangulation. The other woman was found hiding in a bedroom unhurt. The police reached the obvious conclusion that Evans murdered Risa and then shot himself. They described him as her ex-boyfriend, who had been stalking her and wanted her back. According to her gym owner friend, nick, he was so obsessed with her and didn't want anyone else to have her.

John:
16:29

Risa's family has also come forward stating that they saw red flags about Stephen from the beginning. Her sister Lynn, said that Stephen had almost killed her several times and that Risa quote knew it was going to happen. She just didn't know. When Her oldest daughter told 8 News Now that her mother was a victim of domestic abuse and that there had been abuse in the relationship from the very beginning of it all. Unfortunately, this case attracted a lot of victim blaming, according to Risa's oldest daughter. It's always so heartbreaking to hear that her daughter had to hear all of this victim blaming, none of which is true.

John:
17:07

We've covered this a few times, but it's worth remembering that a victim can do everything in her power to get away from an abuser and still end up being murdered. Several people in Risa's life had said she was doing everything possible, including calling the police, lawyers and even getting a restraining order. She'd gone to the police and to the courts for help. People will often resort to victim blaming because they want to believe that if they are ever in the same situation, they will do the right things and they will be safe. Of course, we'll share the resources for getting help. We want to remind everyone listening that there are resources available to help victims of domestic violence. So if you or someone in your life is in a dangerous situation, don't wait. Please do everything in your power to get them the resources to help themselves. You can even reach out to the resources on their behalf or for your own mental health and support.

Shaun:
18:02

Her family hopes that people will hear and understand the red flags in a relationship. Her sister, rick Meir, has expressed how hard it is to talk about RZA and not cry. Her oldest daughter has said that she feels no one talks about domestic violence enough. She understands that her mom is not the only victim and domestic violence has always been the problem. Domestic violence definitely continues to be a huge problem here in Las Vegas.

Shaun:
18:30

Not even 36 hours before RZA was killed, another young woman, 22-year-old Arias Eldridge, was killed in a murder-suicide by her boyfriend, 18-year-old Gregory Ford. Arias lived in North Las Vegas at Las Vegas Boulevard near Lake Mead. Around 9 am on June 14, 2023, police were called to their apartment. Arias had been shot several times and Gregory was dead from a single gunshot wound. Arias was transported to UMC but later died from her injuries. That is all we know about the crime and their relationship.

Shaun:
19:07

As we said earlier, it's not uncommon for the news media only to report the name and age of a victim and the location of where they died. Arias's family published a beautiful obituary for her and even included letters that they had written to her. She was born on April 30th 2001, and she was her parents' youngest and only daughter. They said she was a star from the moment she was born. She was bubbly and outgoing, fearless and a force to be reckoned with. She was an animal lover and, from her looks to her style and down to her sweet-natured heart, arias was an experience, and to experience her was certainly a blessing.

John:
19:47

She had an infant son and was described as a devoted mother who focused on instilling in her son strong values. She had many hopes and dreams for herself and for her son. In less than a 48-hour time frame, these two remarkable mothers, sisters and daughters were stolen from their families by these senseless acts of violence and control. We will continue to cover these cases and want to take a second to remind all of you that the suicide hotline is 988 and that we have a list of resources on our website for agencies that can help with safety planning and other support. That's at sinsandsurvivorscom. Thanks, as always, for listening and remember what happens here happens everywhere. Hey, it's Sean.

Shaun:
20:58

And the one and only John.

John:
21:00

Hosts of Sins and Survivors, and we have some exciting news to share. Mark your calendars for July 12th through July 14th, because we are heading to the True Crime and Paranormal Podcast Festival in Denver, colorado.

Shaun:
21:12

We attended the 2023 festival and had such a great experience there that we were inspired to launch this podcast. This year they're rolling out a podcaster education track tailored to those who also are dreaming of launching their own podcast, and also for seasoned creators as well.

John:
21:28

The festival will include hands-on sessions, insights from industry experts and a chance to level up your podcasting game. But this weekend isn't just about podcasts. It's about advocacy, ethics and building a community.

Shaun:
21:42

Worried about the cost? Fear not. This festival is designed with you in mind An affordable experience without sacrificing quality. There are no inflated costs just a weekend packed with authenticity, education and networking. Have are no inflated costs, just a weekend packed with authenticity, education and networking. Have you ever wished for a genuine one-on-one interaction with your favorite creators? Well, now's your chance.

John:
22:02

Head over to truekindpodcastfestivalcom. Slash tickets and register now as a Sins and Survivors listener. You'll get 15% off by entering the code SYNC.